Most Certified Teachers in N.C.

In North Carolina, 1,476 teachers received national certification, more than any other state. This increase brought the total to 5,111 nationally certified teachers.

Education officials say North Carolina consistently has more certified teachers than other states because of an established financial aid program and the legacy of national certification in the state.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was founded by former N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt in 1987. North Carolina was the first state to offer incentives for certified teachers.

"National Board Certification is the highest credential available in the teaching profession," said NBPTS Media Relations Manager James Minichello. "(Certification) shows that a teacher put his or her practice on the line. It's a huge risk."

Minichello said applicants devote a great deal of time and money to the certification process, including 200 to 400 hours of practical work in the classroom and a day at an assessment center. But he added that state funds take care of the application fee and other costs for interested teachers from the state.

"In North Carolina, (the application process) costs nothing," said Vanessa Osborne, a nationally certified teacher at Trindale Elementary in Archdale. "The state pays the $2,000 fee. They also pay for a substitute for three days while the teacher works towards certification."

When teachers become nationally certified in North Carolina, they are guaranteed a 12 percent pay raise that provides instant gratification, Osborne said.

Nationally, more teachers are becoming certified. The 7,886 certifications from 2001-02 brings the total to 23,930.

Virginia is one of 46 other states that offer financial assistance to teachers desiring certification, said Charles Pyle, public information manager for the Virginia Department of Education.

The Virginia General Assembly appropriated $75,000 for each year of this biennium to pay for $1,000 of the application fee for 75 Virginian teachers.

In Virginia, 142 new teachers were certified during the 2001-02 school year, less than 10 percent of North Carolina's total.

But Pyle said national certification is not a definitive indication of the quality of a state's school system. He said some valuable individuals for whom certification might not be as appealing include older teachers who would not reap the benefits long enough to justify the time devoted to certification as well as younger teachers who do not have the necessary three years of experience.

Osborne added that she thinks some teachers see the qualification as unnecessary. "Some see it as jumping through hoops to get a salary raise. ... In the beginning, teachers were wary that certification was a fad and waited to get certified."

But she emphasized that it was an amazing experience and that she does not know why more teachers do not apply to be certified. "(The certification process) makes you justify why you do things. It doesn't allow you to stay in a rut."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.